Joey O’Leary, an Irish boy, lived in a very small town with his mother, father and two younger sisters. He was born many years ago, even before the invention of the computer, maybe as much as twenty years ago. Joey’s father was a school teacher and his mother, most of the time was a homemaker, though she did sell cosmetics from their home, to earn a little extra money. School was starting in just a few days, and it was customary for the
O’Leary children to get a new set of clothing each year, so they would look well dressed on the first day of school. Joey’s little town had no clothing store, no bank, no restaurant, or even a swimming pool. The only store in the village was a small grocery store, a post office, a gas station and a barber shop. It was Saturday, the last free weekend of the summer, and mother said that it was the dreaded day of school shopping. Beth and Carole, the two younger sisters were up early, happy as a couple of larks, as they giggled and chattered over breakfast, anticipating the “day of glory and excitement” in the big city mall. Joey, on the other hand, was not that enthusiastic. He wanted to stay home and ride his bicycle, throw rocks in the pond, or do anything but go shopping. He finally agreed to go, however, after his father gave him a talking to. It seemed for ever, but thirty minutes later, mom, Carole, Beth and Joey were in the big town, entering the huge shopping mall.